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For Jared Gaither, the bye week is coming at the perfect time. The 6-foot-7, 340-pound left tackle is still recovering from a groin injury that prevented him from suiting up vs. the Broncos and is looking forward to the extra days of rest.

“With the injury coming about a week ago, having a few extra days to get healthy is appreciated,” he said. “It’s definitely coming at a good time for me and the team. We had a little meltdown, but we’re going to rally and get back up. And personally, it’ll be good to help me heal up.”

So does Gaither expect to be ready to go when the team returns to practice on Monday?

“I’m confident I’ll be out there when we head to Cleveland,” he said. “I think I’ll be ready to go.”

Whenever he does return, his presence will boost an offensive line that has struggled lately in pass protection. On Monday, they gave up four sacks, including a pair of game-changing strip-sacks.

For Gaither it was painful to watch from the sideline.

“It hurt not being out there for my teammates,” he said. “I want to be out there and help this team win.”

If all goes according to Gaither’s plan, that opportunity appears to be on the horizon.